Uconn

Connecticut's Breanna Stewart (30) chases the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. Connecticut won 83-61.(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

A big part of what has always made March Madness such a compelling or intriguing time of year in college basketball is the unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament. Great upsets or Cinderella stories would capture America's imagination. The precarious nature of No. 1 seeds would generate debate, excitement and a feeling that anyone could win the office pool.

That 'Madness,' however, has always been a reflection of the competitiveness of the men's game. On the women's side, everything that matters most always seems to play out according to a tidy, predictable script right through the Sweet 16.

The women's NCAA Tournament this year appears to be three weeks of pageantry leading up to the first ever national championship showdown between a pair of undefeated teams in UConn and Notre Dame.

That's not to say that the No. 1-ranked Huskies (34-0) go into this year's tournament without a few questions of their own, albeit minor concerns given the performance of the team all season.

Skeptics seeking flaws could point to three: 1. Point guard Moriah Jefferson has a stress reaction in her right foot and has been wearing a boot cast to relieve pressure. 2. The Huskies haven't received much from their bench, so lack of depth could be an issue, 3. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is still trying to get back into rhythm after a tumultuous season of injury and sickness.

As far as the challenge others might present, tonight the Huskies will learn their path to the Nashville Final Four tonight when ESPN hosts the unveiling of the NCAA Tournament bracket at 7 p.m.

The Huskies already know that they will be hosting first- and second-round games at Gampel Pavilion. It should be noted that UConn hasn't lost earlier than the Sweet 16 in 20 years, not since 1993 when it lost to Louisville in the first round.

There are only two regionals the Huskies can be sent to for Sweet 16 play, and therein is the biggest drama of the tournament bracket. UConn could be placed in the Louisville Regional where the Huskies could play the host Cardinals for a fourth time this season. The other possibility is a trip to Lincoln, Neb., where the Huskies could potentially play the Big Ten champ Cornhuskers on their home floor.

No one at UConn is complaining about playing a road game against a No. 2 or No. 3 seed at either regional. The Huskies are focusing on themselves.

While Jefferson's foot could be an issue, UConn has handled it really well to date, limiting her minutes the last couple weeks and having her wear the boot cast.

"I'm fine, because it doesn't really hurt when I play," Jefferson said. "I don't really have any problems with that. They are just getting me through the season, and I feel like they are doing a good job of getting me in and out of the games and getting me enough rest for my foot."

She's been very careful about resting the foot when she's not playing.

"Hey I am in the boot practically 24 hours," Jefferson said. "As soon as practice or the game is over, I put it right on. If I am just like at the apartment lying down or something like that I can take it off, but other than that I have it on. Any time I'm walking around I have it on."

She said she's had no problem keeping weight off the foot throughout the day and then playing at 100 percent once she steps onto the court. In the American Athletic Conference championship game against Louisville, Jefferson scored nine points on 4-for-5 shooting with five rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.

Her three previous games she averaged 9.3 points with 12 assists and seven turnovers while playing an average of 29.0 minutes.

Kiah Stokes has been the best of the Huskies' reserves, providing consistent rebounding and defense, but guards Saniya Chong and Brianna Banks haven't provided much of late. Auriemma said he planned on pushing them in practice this past week to get more out of them.

As for Mosqueda-Lewis, she has scored in double figures in each of her last four games and believes she can get better, as can all the Huskies, over the next few weeks. After the Louisville game Auriemma challenged them each player to tell him five things they needed to get better at individually and five things the team needed to improve upon.

"That's not hard. There's definitely work to be done,'' Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Everything's not perfect for our team and we know that."

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